A Different King
by RainOnTheMoon
Summary: What if Bella was never meant to be with Edward? What if she was meant for something so much more, for someone that was her more? This is her romance story, but not the one you know. Please be kind... this is my first story. And I will continue it, if people are interested.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: A Different Beginning

Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer; I just find it fun to play with the story and characters that she created.

I have no beta and all mistakes are mine. This story is different and my version of Bella is going to be a little different. I am going to try to capture most of the traits that make her but also give her a little more backbone and depth I think she needs for this story.

I am starting in New Moon when Edward leaves. I am going to go quickly for the beginning until we get to Voltura then the story will slow down and the romance will begin.

This is my first story, so I relish your reviews but please be kind as I am very much learning.

—

Eighteen years before…

The three brothers sat in brooding silence surrounded by ancient books, which had been their normal pastime for about 1000 years.

A gasp resounded through the quiet room and caused two of the brothers to look toward the noise.

"What is wrong, Marcus?" Aro asked in a very interested voice. Marcus is normally not a very excitable man; he tends to be unaffected by daily life. But that would be changing in the coming years.

Marcus simply held his hand out toward the mindreader with a curious, thoughtful look on his face.

Aro reached toward the hand with intrigue and the moment their fingers touched Aro got a glimpse of the most beautiful thing he had seen in his long existence.

And Aro smiled, bright and authentic, which is rare for this controlling, malignant man.

"What does it mean, Marcus?" Aro was even talking in a different voice, a quieter and melodic voice. Something about what he saw caused Aro to soften.

"Well, are you going to share your thoughts? Or are you trying to anger me?" Caius joined in the conversation, beginning to get irritated at his brothers' silent conversation.

"I do not know how to explain it, Caius. All of our feelings from the past few months make sense. Marcus has seen a new line… connecting all three of us to one thing." But Marcus interrupted with, "the most beautiful lines I have ever seen. But it isn't really a line… It is as bright as the sun, the color of pure, shining gold, mixed with stunning red and green. It is stronger than any I have seen. It resembles a spider web, because it is complicated and tangled. It is like this person has taken unbreakable rope and tied us all together in as many loops and directions possible. It is so unlike any other relationship I have ever seen." Marcus raved in a dreamlike voice, as if he was looking at something majestically beautiful.

"So… what does that mean? And why did it just appear?"

"I do not know… gold means True Mates, the purest and strongest mating relationship. But I don't know… it is not the only color there. But I know this girl will be very important to all of us." Marcus couldn't explain it, he had never seen a connection this intense before.

Thankfully, the two other men understood what he was trying to say.

So, with nothing else to do, the brothers relapsed into quiet contemplation. They would have to wait and watch and hope that one day this woman would show up.

—

 **"** **Okay, let's talk." I said. It sounded braver than I felt.**

 **He took a deep breath.**

 **"** **Bella, we're leaving."**

 **I took a deep breath, too. This is an acceptable option. I thought I was prepared. But I still had to ask.**

 **"** **Why now? Another year—"**

 **"** **Bella, it's time. How much longer could we stay in Forks, after all? Carlisle can barely pass for thirty, and he's claiming thirty-three now. We'd have to start over soon regardless."**

(New Moon pg. 68)

But this answer did not make sense to me. We have to leave because he needs to get me away from his family. Where I cannot mess them up anymore and where I wouldn't be a burden to them. So I asked…

"So, when you say we…?"

"I mean my family and I."

No.

My face went blank. And my thoughts went silent. I looked away from him, as if searching for the answer in the trees surrounding us.

"…"

"Bella, I was never in love with you. I was curious about you. I have grown bored of pretending. You do not belong in my world." His face was showing no emotion, like I really did mean nothing to him.

 _I was never in love with you._

I knew that. I knew I would never be good enough for this inhumanly beautiful, smart, romantic, talented god. Even knowing that, my chest is hurting and my eyes are watering. It is like I knew it was coming but still cannot stop the reaction.

But he wouldn't stop there.

"Do not worry. You will never see me again. Once I'm gone, your memory will fade and you will be fine. I, on the other hand, will never forget…" he continued in a lifeless voice. It almost sounded like he hoped he would. Which may have broke my heart more than the words themselves. Like I could ever forget him. Like I could ever get over him.

"You don't love me?" I had to make sure. My throat was closing up but I shook the words out anyway.

"No."

That one word ended everything. All the plans, all the hopes, the family, the future, the joy. I was left empty and confused. He said he wouldn't leave. But I cannot make him stay.

"If this is what you want, I won't stop you. Not that I could- if I tried." I told him honestly, but it hurt like turning a knife in my chest.

"Thank you for not trying; this is what I want. Have a good life, Isabella."

With that, he was gone. No trace of him anywhere around me. And the tears gathering in my eyes began to fall. I sank to the ground because my legs could not seem to hold me up anymore. My sobs broke through the silence of the forest like a rocket shooting through a cloud. They split the tranquility.

I cried as the sky began to darken into night.

I cried as I heard wolves howling at the moon.

I cried when my bones began to ache from sitting on the hard ground.

I cried until my tears began to dry and I could breath deeply and slowly again.

My mind came crawling back to me and I began to think clearly. I know I have been gone a long time. I know my dad must be worried about me.

With that in mind, I stood up. Looked around and realized, really realized, that I was alone… in the woods… in the dark. I couldn't see 10 feet in front of me.

My heart started to speed up and my breaths came quicker. I glanced around and felt like the darkness was closing in around me.

So, I ran.

Not sure if I was going in the right direction but I was sure it would get me away from the monsters lurching in the dark.

Finally, I broke through the trees and glanced around to figure out where I was. Thankfully, I ended up on a road I knew well. It was surrounded by trees on both sides. It was an old road with no street lights. I had driven this road many times. I was only about half a mile from my house.

I began walking in the direction of my home, in a daze. Not really thinking about anything. Sort of in shock, or numbed for the moment.

As I came closer, I saw the lights from emergency services and cars parked all around my small house. Probably 20 cars, a lot for such a little driveway and yard.

There were flashlights lighting up the woods around the yard and I heard people calling my name from all directions.

My dad was standing by his police car talking to other officers. His face was pulled taut like he had aged 10 years since I had seen him that morning. His eyes were puffy and red like he had been crying. He looks like a different man, a broken man.

I start sprinting toward him.

"Dad!" I yelled as I get closer. I threw myself into his arms, needing the comfort from my daddy after a night like this and him obviously need my comfort in return.

"Bella?!" He exclaimed in a voice filled with the relief of a parent who had found his lost child.

"What happened to you?! We have been searching for hours. I have never been this scared in my life!"

Well, now I have guilt to add to the long list of emotions in me right now. My throat got tight and my eyes started to water, once again.

"I am so sorry, Dad. I did not mean to scare you. But he left, Dad. Edward left."

"Oh, Honey. I know. Dr. Cullen resigned this morning, something about a job offer in Los Angeles. I went to their house to try and ask him why they decided to leave so quickly. But their house was cleaned out when I got there. You were already gone before I could make it back to warn you… I thought you had left with them." Dad admitted.

I was still wrapped around him but let go at this point and grabbed his upper arms to look in his eyes. Paying no attention to the crowd gathered around us.

"I would never leave you like that. I really did just loose track of time. I needed to be alone with my thoughts after…" I tried to reassure him. But I couldn't get the words out to explain what had happened yet. My throat tightened as a forced back a sob.

"I'm just really relieved you are okay. Do not scare me like that again, Bella." He pulled me back into his arms and kissed the top of my head like I was 5 years old again.

After a minute of this, Billy, Dad's friend from LaPush, came up and put a hand on Charlie's shoulder. Me and Dad broke away from each other and didn't meet eyes. I got my shyness from him. It was not natural to either of us to show this much emotion.

"We are going to head out now, Chief. Bella, I am glad you are okay; you really gave everyone a scare." He looked genuinely relieved to see me home safely. I appreciate his loyalty to Charlie.

I just nod at him with a smile.

"Thank you for the boys' help with looking for my daughter. They all made it back safely, right?" Charlie assumed.

"Of course, Chief. Though I'm sorry they didn't help much. I called Sam as soon as we saw Bella was safe. He got them all rounded up and they're headed back to LaPush now." Billy told us.

We both thanked Billy again as he climbed into the passenger seat of his car and Jacob, his young son, got in the drivers seat and they headed back toward LaPush.

The crowd had dispersed at this point since I had returned home unharmed.

Me and dad started off toward the house. He automatically headed for the kitchen and started gathering supplies to make a sandwich. He asked over his shoulder as he assembled, "So? What happened tonight Bella? I don't understand."

Where to start?

I could not exactly tell my dad the whole story. My boyfriend, no— my ex-boyfriend, and his whole family are vampires and on my birthday his brother, for all intents and purposes, tried to drain my blood because I accidentally gave myself a paper cut. His entire family had to fight off the urge to drink me dry. And that made my ex-boyfriend realize that I do not belong with him and that he never loved me and was only using me. So, they all ditched town. And left me here. Yeah, I could not exactly say that to him.

"Bell?" Dad tried to regain my attention as I had been lost in thought for a moment.

"Sorry, I was just trying to think of what to say." I started. I decided to just tell him as much as I could.

"Edward left… That is what happened. His family decided to move. And he took the opportunity to tell me, he never loved me and was done acting as if he did. So, he left."

I could feel the emptiness in my words, like I was a robot just reciting information.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Honey. But how did you end up lost for hours? Where had you been?" Dad was quizzing me as if I was a witness to a crime scene. And I knew my explanation made me sound nuts.

"Well, after school he asked me to go for a walk in the woods. Then… after… I just needed to sit down for a little while. But I didn't realize how much time had passed. When I finally got up, it was dark and I got scared so I took off running and came out a little bit up the road from our house."

"That bastard left you alone and crying in the woods?! Bella you could've seriously been hurt!" Dad exclaimed. This was the most emotion I have ever seen my father show, I don't really know how to handle it.

"I never said I was crying." I said, trying to lighten the mood. I didn't want to cause my father this much distress, I just wasn't thinking clearly.

"I put that together on my own, Isabella." Dad said in a serious voice.

"Yes, he left me alone and crying in the woods." I admitted reluctantly. I did not want my dad to be mad and I didn't want him to be worried about me. I can handle this, and him being upset is not going to do anything. Because they are gone and no one can do anything about that. I think he got that message from the tone of my voice and the look in my face, because he answered with a calmer…

"I am so glad you made your way home. That boy was smart to get the hell out of dodge."

I said _calmer_ , not _calm_.

I understand how he feels, I am his only child and Edward broke my heart and left me alone in the dark forest. But I couldn't really make myself angry at him yet. So, I decided to sleep on it.

"I am going to bed, Dad. This night has worn me out." I tell him honestly.

"Goodnight… I am here if you need me… Do not forget that I have been there before." Dad reminds me.

I just nodded as I continued walking to my room.

I knew he was talking about Mom. While I appreciate the gesture, I do not want to talk about this; I doubt I ever will. And I do not want to compare Edward leaving me with my mom walking out on Charlie. Mom had not been playing games, she had loved him… and grown unhappy. Edward never loved me. Edward was never happy with me.

With that thought, I closed the door to my bedroom.

I looked around and noticed everything Edward had given me was gone. His picture was not in my scrapbook. The plane tickets were gone. The CD he made for me was gone.

I couldn't find it in me to cry again though. It is like my body or my subconscious knew this was coming and had prepared for it. Like, somewhere inside me I knew this was going to happen and I had already made my peace with it.

I stripped out of my shoes and jeans. I took the bobby pins out of my hair. I unbuckled my bra and took it out from under my shirt.

And my t-shirt and panties, I pulled my covers back and climbed into bed. I lay there for a minute but felt off, like something wasn't right. Then I realized.

My window wasn't open. I knew he would not be climbing through it tonight and coming over to me. I knew he would not be holding me while I slept or singing softly in my ear. But I wasn't ready to leave the window closed and acknowledge that he was not coming through it. That he wasn't coming back.

So, I got out of bed, went to the window, opened it, and peered into the night, hoping to see a flash of white marbled skin looking in on me.

But of course, there was no one watching over me tonight.

I stood there looking out until finally, I sighed and got back in bed. Leaving the covers off.

As I lay there and, after some tossing and turning, I fell asleep to the cool breeze blowing over my uncovered skin. Acting as if the cool was the arms of the man I knew I would never forget.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Day After

I woke up to the sun shining through my open window. I was stretching out and reaching for a cold body to snuggle back into when yesterday came crashing down on me.

My eyes snapped open and I sat up to glance around. For a moment, I had forgotten how my life has changed.

The brightness fell of my face and I began to resent the sun for shining on a day like this.

But…

No! I cannot let this ruin me. I will not let this ruin me. I will not let him steal my joy. I will not let my life be about what I lost. I am done crying, that was for yesterday. Today is new and today is better.

I get out of bed, in my panties and t-shirt. And I stand with my head high.

Am I sad? Of course I am. But my life is not over. And I have people to live for.

I am all Charlie has. I have to be okay for him. I will be okay for him… and for me.

With this revelation in mind, I got ready for my day. I got my bag and I went to the bathroom. After my teeth were brushed, I took a shower and washed my hair (with shampoo AND conditioner).

I stepped out of the shower and dried off before wrapping up in a silk robe that Mom had gotten me.

Strutting back into my room, I sat at my vanity and dried my long, dark hair until it fell around me in voluminous, shining waves.

I am not the kind of girl who wears a full face of makeup, ever. But when I have the motivation…

Today I make myself have the motivation. I cover up the circles under my eyes. Proof that I may not have slept as well as I thought I had. And add a stroke or two of mascara. Plus, a dab of blush to put some life in my face.

I look into the mirror and actually feel good about what is looking back at me.

I have a new outlook. Today, I get to reinvent what I want for my life. All my plans have changed, but that does not have to be a horrible thing. Unless, I make it a horrible thing.

Even though it hurts, Edward Cullen is not the man for me. If he was, he would not have broken my heart. He would not have played me for months. If he was meant for me, he would have loved me back and never left.

I put on dark wash jeans, and a belt. I wear a bright red shirt that hugs my breasts and flows around my hips.

With my newly found confidence, I head downstairs.

"I was starting to think you were going to sleep fore— Bella?" Dad says as I walk into the room but stops when he sees me.

We are in the kitchen and dad seems to be warming up leftovers for… I look at the clock… Lunch! Jeez, I did sleep for a long time.

"You look good, Sweetheart. How are you doing this morning?"

"Thank you. I am okay. Trying to have a positive outlook." I explain.

"That is great, Bell. Very mature…"

I just nod and smile.

"So, I have plans to go fishing today with Harry Clearwater… but if you need me, you know company and everything. I can, reschedule. Or you could go too, if you want." Dad said, sounding very unsure of himself.

I thought about it for a second and realized that it would be good to spend some time with my dad.

"Actually, I think I will go. If you are sure, and Harry doesn't mind." I agreed with a smile.

"Of course we don't mind!" Dad actually looked excited to have me crashing his fishing date.

—-

This lake is beautiful. In the middle of a large clearing in the woods, a few feet off an old gravel road.

The lake is clear, you can practically see the bottom anywhere you look. Even the moss shines bright and green and vibrant. If you stare hard enough you can see the shadow of fish moving through the undergrowth. It is majestic out here. The sun is breaking through the clouds and it is just warm enough that with my sweater on, I am not cold.

I haven't caught any fish, no big surprise there, I stopped trying about a half hour ago. But I am having a wonderful time just sitting by this beautiful water with my mind clear and peaceful.

"Good catch, Harry!" This exclamation breaks my bubble of serenity. "I'm relieved to see that whatever animal is terrorizing our woods has not scared away all our fish." Charlie said jokingly.

As Harry unhooks the bass and places it in a bucket he asks, trying to hide his alarm and worry.

"What do you mean, Charlie? I haven't heard of any dangerous animals in Forks."

Harry knew they would have a problem on their hands if the chief of police thought there were beasts lurching in his town.

"In the past few weeks, we have had two people killed, from what appears to be an animal attack. We have been out in the woods hunting every day for the past week."

Harry's heart almost stopped. His son and daughter are out in those woods everyday hunting vampires, but Charlie doesn't know that.

"Charlie! You cannot hunt these creatures." Bella turned her head to look back and forth from her dad to Harry. Normally, the elder was a very calm and collected man but something about these creatures was causing him to loose his cool.

"Why can't I? I am the chief of police, my job is to protect the town of Forks. I am doing my job." Charlie says in a low, serious voice.

Harry knew he could not dissuade Charlie without sounding crazy and making him more suspicious. Charlie had to protect Forks, but Harry had to protect LaPush. So, he made a quick decision. He had to be on these hunts so he could steer the party away from his wolves.

"You are right, Charlie. I will help. I am the best huntsman this side of the great plains. So, I will be your guide for these hunting trips." Harry demanded.

Charlie, clearly confused, asked…

"Harry, not one minute ago you were trying to stop me from hunting and now you want to come along and help? That makes no sense."

Charlie did have to be perceptive, after all, he was a cop. But Harry knew he had to make it seem like he was genuinely trying to be helpful.

"I was only worried about you, my friend. I do not relish the idea of you killed by wild animals." Harry explained in the best lie he could form, good thing he has so much practice.

Curiously listening throughout this conversation, unnoticed, Bella was taking in a lot of new information. There were creatures terrorizing Forks? How did she not know about this? And why was Harry acting so unglued about it?

Bella was too observant to believe Harry's lies. She knew something wasn't right.

She had found her new motivation. She wanted to know what Harry was hiding.

"Dad, what kind of animals are you talking about?" Bella asked, joining the conversation.

Charlie turned around to face his daughter, realizing that she had been listening in on the conversation. He hadn't meant for her to hear about this, she doesn't need anything else to worry about right now. But it was too late for that.

"That's the thing, Bell… We don't know. There are prints that look like wolves scattered around, but they are much to big to be normal wolves. And the marks left on the bodies resemble that of bear claws and teeth." Charlie tried to explain without scaring his "fragile" daughter too much, but he didn't want to lie to her either.

"Wolf prints?" She asked as a memory came to her. A memory that felt like a lifetime ago.

 **"** **The Cullens? Oh, they're not supposed to come onto the reservation." He looked away, out toward James Island, as he confirmed what I'd thought I'd heard in Sam's voice.**

 **"** **Why Not?"**

 **He glanced back at me, biting his lip. "Oops, I'm not supposed to say anything about that."**

 **"** **Oh, I won't tell anyone, I'm just curious." I tried to make my smile alluring, wondering if I was laying it on too thick.**

 **He smiled back, though, looking allured. Then he lifted one eyebrow and his voice was even huskier than before.**

 **"** **Do you like scary stories?" He asked ominously.**

 **"** **I** ** _love_** **them," I enthused, making an effort to smolder at him.**

 **Jacob strolled to a nearby driftwood tree that had its roots sticking out like the attenuated legs of a huge, pale spider. He perched lightly on one of the twisted roots while I sat beneath him on the body of the tree. He stared down at the rocks, a smile hovering around the edges of his broad lips. I could see he was going to try to make this good. I focused on keeping the vital interest I felt out of my eyes.**

 **"** **Do you know any of our old stories, about where we came from — the Quileutes, I mean?" He began.**

 **"** **Not really," I admitted.**

 **"** **Well, there are lots of legends, some of them claiming to date back to the Flood — supposedly, the ancient Quileutes tied their canoes to the tops of the tallest trees on the mountain to survive like Noah and the ark." He smiled, to show me how little stock he put in the histories.**

 **"** **Another legend claims that we descended from wolves — and that the wolves are our brothers still. It's against tribal law to kill them."**

 **"** **Then there are the stories about** ** _the cold ones_** **." His voice dropped a little lower.**

 **"** **The cold ones?" I asked, not faking my intrigue now.**

 **"** **Yes. There are stories of the cold ones as old as the wolf legends, and some much more recent. According to legend, my own great-grandfather knew some of them. He was the one who made the treaty that kept them off out land." He rolled his eyes.**

 **"** **Your great-grandfather?" I encouraged.**

 **"** **He was a tribal elder, like my father. You see, the cold ones are the natural enemies of the wolf — well, not the wolf, really, but the wolves that turn into men, like our ancestors. You would call them werewolves."**

(Twilight pg. 123-124)

I gasped.

Charlie thought the look on my face was because of fear, which in a way it was.

"Bella, you do not have to be scared. As long as you do not go into the woods alone, you are safe. And soon enough, we will catch these creatures and no one will have to worry about them again." Charlie tried to reassure his frightened daughter. His face was pulled, like the idea of her being scared hurt him.

"Dad! You cannot hunt these wolves!" Charlie's face slowly changed to irritation. But Bella had to stop him. She wasn't sure if her theory was right.. but if it was, he could not kill these wolves.

She got up from her seated position and moved toward her father.

Jacob was right about the cold ones. Could he have been right about werewolves? If vampires are real, who knows what else is out there. And if it is true, who is killing people? Could werewolves be the cause of people dying? That would explain Harry's outburst at hunting these wolves. If the wolves are in fact Quileute men, Harry may know some of them. Oh My! Harry might be one of them! What if Harry was killing people in the woods as a wolf?! So many questions, and no way to answer them right now. She had to act like she didn't know anything. Which really, she didn't.

"Bella, I know you love animals and all that, but I cannot let these live. They have killed two of our people. It is my job to protect and I WILL do my job." Charlie's face had gotten more irritated as he spoke. Why do neither one of them understand? People are more important, he has to prioritize people above wild animals.

"Dad, I just do not want you to get hurt. You are all I have now," she said, trying to play on Charlie's emotions.

She dropped her eyes down to look at her feet, feeling guilty that she had to lie. But Charlie would have her admitted if she said she thinks the creatures are actually Quileute men disguised as wolves.

"Bell, I will be fine. This is my job. My gun is a lot more effective on them than their claws would be. They will not have a chance to get to me. You do not need to worry."

That did not comfort me at all. Werewolves are supernatural creatures. Who are enemy to vampires. They must be more indestructible than normal wolves if they are capable of fighting vampires. And if they can injure a vampire, what would they be able to do to my human father?

That thought terrified me. I have to do something. But what? I'm just a human myself. And Edward made it very clear that I am not meant to be a part of the supernatural world. I do not know how to figure this out, or how to fix this.

"Charlie, lets head back to your place; I'm starving and would love to fry some fresh fish to help my cholesterol." With that big booming laugh from Harry, the tension broke… for now.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A Long Mile Away

"NO!"

"Ali, what's wrong?" Jasper asks.

We were lounging on our yellow and lavender bed when I had been pulled into a vision. I didn't mean to be checking up on her. It was just a moment of weakness; I let myself want to see her. She is like my sister after all; I am curious about her.

"Bella." I responded to the love of my existence. Jasper pulled me further into his arms, trying to comfort me.

"What happened?" He asked.

"She is going to die. I tried to warn Edward that she wouldn't be safe if we left but he wouldn't listen, and now its too late."

"Love, you are not making sense. What is going on? Why is Bella dying?"

"Laurent is going to find her in the woods. He will kill her. It is to soon to stop it. Victoria will send him to find Bella and he will be too hungry to control himself."

"Victoria? I thought Victoria wasn't going to come after Bella. It doesn't make sense, why after all this time."

"Mate for a mate, I guess. Victoria has no way to know that Edward and Bella broke up. It does not really matter the reason; regardless, Bella is going to die."

—-

I ran out of the backdoor and went as far away from the house as I could without reaching civilization. Now, standing on the top of a mountain in Alaska, I cannot believe what I just heard. I dialed up the number I knew Edward would pick up from. After ringing for a good 10 minutes, it went quiet and I felt his presence on the other end of the line.

"Edward, I have to warn you about something… Bella is about to die. Alice saw it. You cannot stop it, but I wanted to let you know. You have a right to know. Now, you can come home and our family can all be together again."

I heard a click and realized the brat hung up on me, or broke the phone. Whatever, now he can finally get over this obsession and hopefully get over himself as well. It was time for the child to have a reality check, and I just delivered it to him.

—-

The rest of the family had been on a hunting trip and just returned. As they were walking, Alice bombarded them and immediately filled them in on everything she knew.

"Have you seen anything else, Alice?" Carlisle asked.

"No. I see Laurent lung at her and everything goes black. Her future completely gone. That can only mean one thing."

As she finished speaking, her vision clouded over and she looked up to see Edward, in Voltera. He was standing before the three kings on his knees and with a bowed head. His face looked like a man being burned alive. As if he was already dying a miserable, slow death as well.

"I told a human girl of our existence. And I left her alive for months with no supervision. She is dead now, but it doesn't matter because I broke your law. Please, I am begging you, kill me."

The three kings looked at each other with dangerous, red eyes and Aro, the head of the trio, smiled down at him, mockingly, like the child he was.

—

Alice came back to reality seated in her husband's lap, straddling his waist on the couch with his hands on her face trying to guide her back to him.

"What did you see, My Love?"

I can barely get the words out, I am so fearful for my brother.

"Edward knows, or he will know. He is going to the Volturi, he wants them to end his life. He admits to telling Bella about us and leaving her." She explains the situation to her family.

"But I do not understand how he knows she died. None of us have told him and Rosalie is still out hunting. She couldn't have heard, right?" Esme asks.

All my siblings are standing around looking anxious and ashamed. We all left her and because of it, she is going to die a horrible, frightening death.

"I do not believe so, unless she snuck up to the house while we were discussing Ali's vision. But it seems to be the only way Edward could know." Jasper reasons.

At this exact moment, Rosalie comes strutting in through the tall front door with her head held high.

"You are right, I did overheard your conversation. And I did call Edward to tell him. He deserves to know. Now, he will come home. And He can get over her, finally. We all need to be over this, now that she is dead, or going to die, we can all go back to normal."

"Rosalie! Do you realize what you have done?" I never yell but in this moment, I am seeing red. She does not think before she acts. Now, because of her, our family is losing two of its members today. We will never be normal again, because of her! I stand up now and begin walking toward her.

"Edward is going to the Volturi to have himself killed because of you!"

Rosalie's face falls, it was obvious she didn't know the repercussion of her actions. After taking a moment to process what I said, Rosalie exclaims,

"I didn't know! I didn't mean for this to happen!"

"It doesn't matter what you thought would happen, Rose! You never think! You are too blinded by your jealousy of Bella that you could not see how badly Edward was hurting, how badly we are all hurting."

At this point, we are less than a foot apart and, even though I am a 5'1 and she is 5'10, I am looking down my nose at her with disgust.

Carlisle steps between us, always the mediator, even in times like this one.

"I agree that Rosalie made a mistake, but arguing about it is not helping anyone. We have to decide what we are going to do." Carlisle reasons and even though we know he is right, yelling felt really good.

"There is nothing we can do, Carlisle. There is no other option."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Coming Forth

Oh my goodness! My heart is so happy! I never thought this many people would be reading my story, much less actually liking it! I appreciate the follows, favorites, and kind reviews. Which I have discovered I love; so, please, if you have any feedback for me I would love to hear it.

I will not have any specific schedule for posting chapters… I am just working on it as much as I can and I will upload them as I finish them.

I hope everyone continues to like this story and sticks with me. Just a reminder, I am going through the beginning quickly and passing some time but when we get to Voltera I will slow down and give all the gory detail.

If you want to, leave a review telling me which King you think/hope will become the main man of this romance.

Thank you again!

—-

"Marcus, how is she today?" Aro asks as he walks into the quiet throne room to join his two best friends. Any time one of the three brothers would have a trying day it has become a comfort to ask about this woman they were all waiting on. Marcus did not know anything about her, other than her being alive… but, even simple, it gave them comfort.

"She is alive." Marcus responded with his normal answer. They all have grown impatient over the years. Wanting her to show up and wanting to know something more about her. Aro sat down and sighed as he looked back on life since finding out about their upcoming queen.

Eighteen years have pasted in the Volturi castle since Marcus got his first look at this strange connection. He still spends the majority of his day looking at it, making sure it is strong and that her life is not waning.

He still is not able to tell what the relationships spurring off this woman mean. The four of them will be very close; the three brothers already are. Add in the woman's relationship lines tying her to them and the whole thing looks like a beautiful, undefinable mess.

"Of course she is alive, I do not think any of us would still be here if she was hurt, much less dead." Caius says in his low, sarcastic voice as he also walks through the gigantic double doors leading into their throne room. He walks up to his two brothers and takes a seat in one of the four intricate thrones resting on a stage-like platform meant to highlight the importance of the men sitting in them. Caius also lapses into silence, thinking about the past 18 years.

The three kings have made some stunning additions to their castle, since their discovery years ago. They want to be as prepared as possible for the missing link of their family to integrate when she finally arrives.

Everything has been upgraded to match with modern day technology. The Volturi clan has collected more money over the years than they could ever spend, and they decided to begin putting it to personal use by upgrading.

They have completely redone the throne room.

Eighteen years ago, the kings lives took a turn. They had hope. So, the concrete castle no longer suited them. They needed color. The kings were still ruthless, they had to be in order to keep the vampire race from total chaos. But they had also changed. The castle was now painted maroon and light grey. Still, dark and intimidating but also colorful and alluring.

The thrones had been changed from gold and black to silver and black.

They still had to project fear into the hearts of the vampires on trial in this room. But the kings had a desire for a home, that they never had before. So, they strived to make everything also warm and comforting… if you were visiting on good terms, that is.

They had a room designed, top notch, fitting for the Queen of England. Or fitting for their queen. It had a king sized bed, covered in Egyptian cotton, 1000 thread count sheets. With a comforter made specially from an Italian seamstress with a gorgeous floral pattern.

Her room was done in creams, for now; the kings wanted to let her add her own colorful touches when she got here.

Her lights are controlled by an iPad that is hung on the wall. It has several different setting: romantic, bright, study, dim, etc..

She has a walk in closet as big as her room, that also contains an iPad so she can organize her clothes on it, if she so chooses.

She will have her own bathroom with a huge jacuzzi tub made with a marble countertop and walk in shower with a electronic pad to determine how the water will fall on her.

Even though they did not know her yet, or know her personal styles, the kings tried to make her quarters as luxurious as they could, only the best for their mystery girl.

—-

Bella was sitting in her last period, history class with her laptop in front of her, paying no attention to the teacher's lesson. Since her fishing trip last week, all she could do was research. She hadn't been this curious about anything since she thought Edward and his family might be vampires. She could not think of a way, a way that wouldn't get her arrested, admitted, or killed, to find out if there were werewolves residing in LaPush and Forks.

So, Bella researched. It was the only way to keep her mind busy. She was now an expert in every folktale having anything to do with a man, or woman, turning into an animal.

But the problem was, she did not actually KNOW anything. She had theories and ideas. But she had no way to find out how true they were. And it was driving her insane.

Even if it was true, what could she do about it? She is a human. She is weak, physically. She is short. She cannot stand up to 7 foot, monstrous wolves, whether they are secretly human or not.

Even knowing that, she couldn't get idea out of her head.

It has been two weeks since the Cullens left. And Bella was very conflicted. She thought she was in love with Edward. She had planned her entire existence around him and his family. And now that they are gone, she should be not only depressed but lost. And she was lost, in a way. She was lost because she no longer knew what she was going to do with her life. She did not know where she was going to college, or if she was going to college. She did not know if she wanted to stay in Forks, now that she had the option. She did not know what job she wanted to pursue, since she could no longer rely on Cullen money. Did she ever want to get married? Or have a family of her own? She had thrown that idea away because she had been so sure about Edward… now, she is not sure about anything.

She was more sad thinking about her family, Carlisle and Esme who had become like parents to her. Thinking of Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and even Rosalie made her want to cry, they had grown to feel like her siblings and now they are gone.

But when she thought about Edward her emotions fell silent. He took away her family. The only real family she ever had.

If Edward had never loved her, as he claimed, why did he tell her he did? And why did he promise to stay with her for as long as it would make her happy, if he knew he wasn't going to?

"Isabella. What did I just say?" Bella's head snapped up to peak at her teacher over the top of her computer screen.

"Well? I assume since your computer has been out during my lecture, you must be taking some very insightful notes." Bella had been taking some notes, but definitely not on Mrs. Pratt's history lecture.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Pratt. I was a little distracted."

After rolling her eyes Mrs. Pratt replied, "pay attention and put the laptop away."

Bella nodded, relieved she let it go easily.

The first week after the Cullen's departure, everyone was walking on eggshells around Bella. Finally, it seems as if they are done expecting her to have an emotional breakdown. She is actually okay, and people are starting to see that, she thought. Bella was ready to move on and find out what the new normal of her life was going to be like.

Bella put her laptop back in the bag, but continued to think about what she had been learning.

All the sites said werewolves were terrifying creatures. They changed from huge, overly-hairy men to gigantic, mindless beasts. But only when the moon allowed it. She had also done some investigating of her police chief father. There have been three deaths now, and none of them happened on the same moon phase. Apparently, werewolves can only change into wolves on a full moon. And when they change, a werewolf no longer has the mind of a man.

The more Bella thought about it, the more sure she was that werewolves did exist in Washington. But they had to be different. The deaths were on different moon phases, so that must mean that THESE wolves can change at will. And Jacob's story sounded like the werewolves still had the minds of men, even when in wolf form. They had an enemy; they fought against vampires to protect their people. So, Bella had come to the conclusion that werewolves were residing in LaPush, but they were not the cause of people dying, not safe, necessarily, but not killing people, either. Now, all she had to do was prove it.

The bell rang to signify the end of her school day and Bella got up with her bag in hand to head home.

As she walked through the halls, Bella pondered life. Everything you grow up believing, may change in the blink of an eye. So, what is real? And what is made up?

A year ago, Bella would have never thought vampires might actually exist. Then, she was thrown into life with a whole clan of them. And they were completely unlike what she would have expected. They were vampires but they didn't drink human blood. Next, she finds out that werewolves might be real. But the werewolves aren't what she expected either.

Life is never quite what she expects it to be, she realized. Right then, in the halls of Forks High School, Bella decided that she was going to stop putting life in a box and expecting it to stay there. The world was so much bigger and more complicated than most people wanted to believe it was. Bella was done being one of those people. She was going to open up, make the world her oyster. Who knew what all she could discover and do if she went around expecting life to be more than she could dream?

Bella climbed into her truck and and drove away from Forks High School with a smile on her lips and a glow in her eyes.


End file.
